Apparatus for releasing and coupling filter plates in a filter press

ABSTRACT

Each of the filter plates is provided with stud members disposed horizontally or vertically on opposite sides. Hook members are pivotally mounted on each filter plate so as to be associated with stud members on the next adjacent filter plate. A release arm formed on the actuating member and adapted to be engaged with a tail member of the hook member is associated with a release pin on the preceding filter plate so that when the preceding filter plate is separated from the following adjacent plate the actuating member on the following plate is forced to operate to release the hook member thereon from the stud member on the next filter plate.

United States Patent 1 1 3,563,386 [72] Inventor Keu-Ichiro Kurita [56]References Cited l N lS7uit5aiJapan UNITED STATES PATENTS [211 1 7 196'1 Filed Mar. 1970 3,331,51 7 Kur1 a 210/230 3,360,130 12/1967 Kaga210/225 cmfimm'm'pm "P 3 366 243 1/1968 Kurita 210/225 780,723, Dec. 3,1968. [45 P d F55; 'ffijg'fi Primary Examiner-Reuben lfriedman [73]Assignee Kurita Machinery Manufactu i Assistant ExaminerC. DltlowCompany Limited Attorney-Wenderoth, Lind and Ponack Osaka, JapanABSTRACT: Each of the filter plates: is provided with stud V 7 membersdisposed horizontally or vertically on opposite sides. Hook members arepivotally mounted on each filter plate so as [54] COUPLING to beassociated with stud members on the next adjacent filter 4 C 4D in R Splate. A release arm formed on the actuating member and Iauns, raw glgsadapted to be engaged with a tail member of the hook member [52] US.Cl 210/230, is associated with a release pin on the preceding filterplate so 100/198, 210/236 that when the preceding filter plate isseparated from the fol- [51] Int. Cl. B0ld 25/12 lowing adjacent platethe actuating member on the following [50] Field of Search 210/225,plate is forced to operate to release the hook member thereon 230, 236;100/178 from the stud member on the next filter plate.

' /3 I3 /3 l2 l2 l2 4 l pl/9 I 7 I I7 I7 I 1 11 29. v ,1 1. 27 1 26 2027 1 2 26 APPARATUS FOR RELEASING AND COUPLING FILTER PLATES IN A FILTERPRESS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to anapparatus in a filter press for releasing and coupling filter plates oneby one and more particularly to an apparatus for releasing and couplingfilter plates in self-actuating manner.

In general, the adjacent filter plates in a filter press are stuck toeach other quite tightly due to the sticking property of filter cakewhich is attributable to the quality of the liquid treated. Accordingly,when, for instance, the filter plates are to be moved one by one toremove the filter cake, two or more of the plates are stuck and movedtogether and there arises a difficulty in releasing them from eachother. Among prior arts so far proposed to overcome such difficultythere is US. Pat. No. 3,366,243 which requires provision of inversedV-shaped links connecting each adjacent two filter plates on oppositesides thereof and intended for other purposes. In accordance with thepresent invention, filter plates can be released or coupled with highreliability without employing such links.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is toprovide an apparatus in which each of the filter plates is provided withhook members which are adapted for engagement with stud members on thenext filter plate and when one filter plate is moved, the hook memberson the next filter plate are released from the stud members of the thirdplate, the apparatus thus making it possible to effect separation of thefilter plates one by one successively and reliably.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a ,structure inwhich the hook members on a filter plate are adapted to be disengagedfrom the stud members by the movement of the actuating members mountedthereon which is effected by release pins on the preceding filter plateand to further provide means which, when the actuating members fail tooperate due to external resistance as by sticking of the filtrate,forces the actuating members to function by an exceedingly greater forceexerted'upon the movement of the filter plate so as to disengage thehook members from the stud members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TI-IE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of anembodiment of the present invention, the view showing the principal partat one side of the filter plates;

- FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the embodiment in FIG. 1, the viewbeing partly in section along the lines lI-II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation showing another embodiment of the presentinvention with upper and lower portions of the filter plates omitted;and

FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the embodiment in FIG. 3, the view beingpartly in section along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIGS. 1 and 2illustrate an er rrbodiment of the present invention in which theapparatusgisfprovided on the extensions of handles of filter plates.Designates at 11 are filter plates with handles 12 extending sidewiseand secured to the opposite sides thereof by bolts 13. The handles 12 ofeach filter plate are supported on side rails 14 at their under face.The boss 17 of a hook 16 is pivotally mounted by a stud member 18 oneach boss support disposed on the upper face proximate to the filterplate 11 of each handle 12. The hook 16 is provided with a slanting face19 at its head to facilitate the reengagement of the hook 16 with thestud member 18 on the following filter plate and a tail member .20 atits tail end, a coil spring 21 acting between the hook 16 and the bosssupport 15.

An actuating member 22 having an actuating bar 29 to be engaged with thetail member 20 is mounted on a pivot 23 on another support 24 disposedaway from. the filter plate 11 and mounted on the handle 12, a coilspring 25 being provided between the actuating member 22 and the support24. A release member 26 extending from the actuating member 22 isadapted to engage with a release pin 27 implanted in the handle 12 ofthe preceding filter plate 11. Designated at 28 is filter cloth. Thecoil spring 21 urges the book 16 in the clockwise direction as seen thedrawing so as to cause the hook 16 to engage with the stud member 18 allthe time, while the actuating member 22 is urged in the clockwisedirection as seen in the drawing under the action of the coil spring 25acting thereon. The coil spring 25 is so designed that its elastic forceis greater than that of the other coil spring 21. Accordingly, theactuating bar 29 tends to abut against the tail member 20 of the hook 16and push it rightward in the drawing to always urge the hook 16 intocounterclockwise pivotal movement against the action of the coil spring21.

In known manner, the respective filter plates 11 are pressed togetherfor filtration and after filtration they are separated from one anotherby a definite space. For filtering operation, the plates are broughttogether by a movable end plate (not shown), while the separation of thefilter plates is effected by a transfer chain or the like (not shown).When a preceding filter plate 11 is moved, the release member 26 of theactuating member 22 on the following filter plate 11 is graduallyrelieved from the pressure of the boss 30 of the preceding actuatingmember 22 for clockwisepivotal movement. In accordance with the degreeof separation between the preceding filter plate 11 and the followingfilter plate 11, the actuating member 22 is therefore turned clockwiseby the coil spring 25 acting thereon. Due to this movement the actuatingmember 22 pushes the tail member 20 of the hook l6 rightward in thedrawing by the actuating bar 29 and turns the book 16 in thecounterclockwise direction against the action of the coil spring 21.When the preceding filter plate 11 is sufficiently separated from thefollowing second filter plate 11, the hook 16 on the second filter plate11, thereby fully turned, is automatically released from the stud member18 of the hook 16 on the third filter plate 11, this making it possiblefor t e second filter plate 11 to get disengaged from the third filterlate 11. The second filter plate 11 is then moved by known transportmeans for separation from the third filter plate 11. In like manner, therest of the filter plates are released and trans ported one by one.

After filter cake has been removed from the separated filter plates 11,the filter plates are pressed together for the subsequent filtration. Atthis time, the boss 30 of the actuating member 22 on the precedingfilter plate 11 pushes the release member 26 of the actuating member 22on the next filter plate 11 to thereby turn the actuating member 22 inthe counterclockwise direction against the action of its coil spring 25.Consequently, the actuating bar 29 gets. released from the tail member20 of the hook l6, whereupon the hook I6 is turned clockwise by the coilspring 21 into engagement with the stud member 18 on the third filterplate. Thus, the filter plates are coupled with one another and getready for the supply of the liquid to be filtered.

Due to sticking of filtrate or the like, there arises a case in whichthe hook or actuating member can not be operated only by the elasticforce of the coil spring. In accordance with the present invention, whena preceding filter plate 11 is moved away from the following filterplate 11, the release pin 27 on the preceding filter plate 11 positionedon the left of the release member 26 as seen in the drawing forces theactuating member 22 on the following plate 11 to turn in the clockwisedirection even if the coil spring 25 fails to move the actuating member22 due to sticky filtrate notwithstanding that it is released from theboss 30 on the preceding filter plate 11. As a result, the hook 16 canbe freed from engagement with the stud member 18 on the third filterplate 11 to enable the second filter plate 11 to be released from thethird filter plate 1 1.

On the other hand, when the actuating member 22 is already returned bythe elastic force of the coil spring 25 as each filter plate is broughtinto pressing engagement with the other plate as by a movable end platebut the hook 16 fails to move back to the original position due tosticking of the filtrate although it is adapted for engagement with thestud member 18 on the adjacent filter plate under the action of the coilspring 21, the release pin 27 on the preceding filter plate 11positioned on the right of the tail member 20 on the following platepushes the tail member 20, so that the hook 16 can be turned clockwiseinto engagement with the stud member 18 on the third plate 11.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 functions in the same manner asthe foregoing embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 but the apparatus of theinvention in this case is provided on the side portions of the filterplates. The same parts are indicated at the same reference numerals asin the embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2. The hook l6, actuating member 22 andrelease pin 27 are mounted on a boss support 31 which is entirelyindependent of the filter plate 11. The boss support 31 is fixed to adesired portion of the filter plate by bolts 32 or the like. In thepresent embodiment, the boss support 31 is secured to the side portionof the filter plate 11 which is positioned above the handle 12 fixed tothe plate 11 for supporting the plate 11 movably on a side rail. Sincethe boss support 31 is designed to be fixed to a desired portion on thefilter plate, this embodiment is advantageous in that the presentapparatus can be mounted on the desired portion of the filter plate 11with ease.

lclairn:

1. An apparatus for releasing and coupling filter plates in a filterpress comprising a hook member pivotally mounted on each of the oppositesides of each filter plate and adapted to be engaged with a stud memberon a following filter plate, a

restoring spring acting on said hook member to urge said hook memberinto engagement with said stud member, an actuating member pivotallymounted on each filter plate and provided with an actuating bar to beengaged with a tail member of said hook member and a release memberextending from another portion of said actuating member and adapted tobe engaged with a release pin projecting from a preceding filter platethe actuating member and release member being so constructed andarranged along with said tail member to cause said hook member todisengage from a following filter plate.

2. The apparatus for releasing and coupling filter plates in a filterpress as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hook member, actuating memberand release pin are mounted on a boss support independent of the filterplate and said boss support is adapted to be fixed to a desired portionof each filter plate.

3. The apparatus for releasing and coupling filter plates in a filterpress as claimed in claim 1 wherein the head portion of said hook memberis formed with a slanting face which is adapted to be pushed upward bysaid stud member on the following filter plate.

4. An apparatus for releasing and coupling filter plates in a filterpress comprising a hook member pivotally mounted on an extending portionof a handle secured to each of the opposite sides of each filter plate,a restoring spring acting on said hook member to urge said hook memberinto engagement with said stud member, an actuating member provided withan actuating bar to be engaged with a tail member of said hook memberand pivotally mounted in a farther position on the extending portion ofthe handle, a restoring spring acting on said actuating member and arelease member extending from another portion of said actuating memberand adapted to be engaged with a release pin projecting from the handleof a preceding filter plate the actuating member and release memberbeing so constructed and arranged along with said tail member to causesaid hook member to disengage from a following filter plate.

1. An apparatus for releasing and coupling filter plates in a filterpress comprising a hook member pivotally mounted on each of the oppositesides of each filter plate and adapted to be engaged with a stud memberon a following filter plate, a restoring spring acting on said hookmember to urge said hook member into engagement with said stud member,an actuating member pivotally mounted on each filter plate and providedwith an actuating bar to be engaged with a tail member of said hookmember and a release member extending from another portion of saidactuating member and adapted to be engaged with a release pin projectingfrom a preceding filter plate the actuating member and release memberbeing so constructed and arranged along with said tail member to causesaid hook member to disengage from a following filter plate.
 2. Theapparatus for releasing and coupling filter plates in a filter press asclaimed in claim 1 wherein said hook membEr, actuating member andrelease pin are mounted on a boss support independent of the filterplate and said boss support is adapted to be fixed to a desired portionof each filter plate.
 3. The apparatus for releasing and coupling filterplates in a filter press as claimed in claim 1 wherein the head portionof said hook member is formed with a slanting face which is adapted tobe pushed upward by said stud member on the following filter plate. 4.An apparatus for releasing and coupling filter plates in a filter presscomprising a hook member pivotally mounted on an extending portion of ahandle secured to each of the opposite sides of each filter plate, arestoring spring acting on said hook member to urge said hook memberinto engagement with said stud member, an actuating member provided withan actuating bar to be engaged with a tail member of said hook memberand pivotally mounted in a farther position on the extending portion ofthe handle, a restoring spring acting on said actuating member and arelease member extending from another portion of said actuating memberand adapted to be engaged with a release pin projecting from the handleof a preceding filter plate the actuating member and release memberbeing so constructed and arranged along with said tail member to causesaid hook member to disengage from a following filter plate.